


Teach Me (How to Love You)

by lostincontemplation



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: AU, Angst, Closeted Character, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending?, High School Teachers, I just want my babies to be happy but theyve gotta go through some shit first, I'm looking at you Alexander Gideon Lightwood, M/M, Porn With Plot, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Slow Burn, Smut, WIP, alec is an asshole, how do American high schools work? Help
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-03 09:37:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11529549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostincontemplation/pseuds/lostincontemplation
Summary: "Maybe they'll be a student teacher," Izzy seemed to almost drool at the thought, though The Institute hiring a teacher straight out of university seemed unlikely. After all, the only reason people like Alec and Izzy had got such high positions so early on in their careers was because of the family name. Luckily for the students, the two of them happened to be dedicated teachers as well, not just Lightwoods. "A bit of eye candy wouldn't hurt any of us, would it big brother?"~~~~~At six o'clock on the dot, the computer rang out, and Magus didn't hesitate to accept the call, sitting back casually - but not too casually -  as he awaited the call to be connected."Mister Bane," Imogen Herondale's face filled the small screen. "It's a pleasure to finally talk to you face to face."The stern set of her face said otherwise, but Magnus kept his charming demeanour about him, sitting up a little straighter in the uncomfortable plastic chair of the cafe."Believe me, Principal Herondale, the pleasure is all mine."





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just get this straight... I live in the UK, I've never visited America in my life, I have no clue how American high schools work, so google is my best friend, if anything doesn't make sense, TELL ME PLEASE. Why am i doing this?!
> 
> This is a WIP (title included. why are titles so difficult?!). Characters are generally based of the actors from the TV series with some alterations, and some minor interactions between characters will be based of the TV show too. Tags will be updated as we go. 
> 
> Oh god, so here goes... Just a short prologue to what will hopefully be a multichapter fic. 
> 
> Sit back, bare with me, and...
> 
> Enjoy!

_Early August- New York City, NY, United States of America_

 

"I  _told_  you something was up with him," Isabelle said as she slumped down on the small couch next to her older brother, resting her takeout container on his knee, all the while her eyes were glued to the evening news.

"Because he didn't flirt with you?" Alec smirked, earning him a prod from Izzy's chopsticks.

"Because he was an asshole," Izzy shot back, frowning playfully at her brother. "And of course he flirted with me," she gestured to herself. Even with her hair scraped back and in old sweatpants Alec knew she could grab the attention of every person in a room. "You jealous?"

"Yes, Izzy,  _he was an asshole_ , but I don't think any of us expected him to be cooking meth in his apartment," Alec sighed, letting her last comment slide.

"I'm just saying,  _mi hermano_ , he was always... " she drifted off, turning up the volume of the television as they watched their former colleague, Victor Aldertree, get bundled into a police car."Mom and dad will be  _so_  pissed."

Alec let out a small huff of laughter at that thought, digging into his chow mien with a fork and stuffing his mouth almost too full. Izzy used his inability to speak to her advantage.

"Anyway, this means The Institute will be needing a new Chem teacher, how exciting," Alec rolled his eyes, unable to respond with his mouth full of noodles. "I hope they're young, and  _interesting_." Alec had to agree.

Not including Alec and Izzy's small group of friends, The Institute was full of boring old men who were so stuck in their ways that Alec wasn't sure how the students finished their classes without falling into some kind of irreversible coma. Yet parents still lined up to send their kids to The Institute, because if you hadn't been taught there,  _was your education even worth the thousands of dollars your parents threw at it?!_

"Maybe they'll be a student teacher," Izzy seemed to almost drool at the thought, though The Institute hiring a teacher straight out of university seemed unlikely. After all, the only reason people like Alec and Izzy had got such high positions so early on in their careers was because of the family name. Luckily for the students, the two of them happened to be dedicated teachers as well, not just Lightwoods. "A bit of eye candy wouldn't hurt any of us, would it big brother?"

Before Alec could answer he was interrupted by his cell buzzing frantically in his pocket. He pulled it out, his heart still conditioned to do a little flip as he saw Jace's name across the screen. He had well and truly got over his teenage crush on Jace, but after so many years of hoping that maybe today was the day that your best friend told you that they loved you, the reaction had become almost innate.

"ARE YOU SEEING THIS?!" Jace bellowed, not even giving Alec chance to say hello. In the background he could hear Clary and Simon talking frantically.

"Aldertree?" Alec put him on speakerphone.

"Izzy always said there was something up with him but... SHIT!" Jace sounded too amused by the whole situation.

" _I told you_ ," Izzy nudged Alec's shoulder, making him drop a forkful of chow mien into his lap. Sometimes he really hated living with his sister.   

  

 

~~~~~

 

 

_Mid August- Jakarta, Indonesia_

 

Magnus pulled at his shirt where it had begun to cling to his body in the late afternoon heat, whilst all around him people went on with their days, seemingly unaffected. As a child, the Jakarta heat hadn't affected him, but now in his late twenties, all Magnus craved was the shade, maybe an iced mocha, and the cooler streets of New York City. That is what happened, he supposed, when you moved away.

He clutched his cell in his hand, the map on the device his only way of navigating around the bustling city as its residents began their commute home. He checked the time again, relieved to see that he still had around half an hour until his appointment - plenty of time to reapply the makeup that had no doubt begun to streak down his face as he rushed through the crowds.

Magnus reached the backstreet cafe in record time, the small woman behind the counter - Desi, his brain supplied - gave him a small smile which he returned before he darted into the cramped toilet room at the back. His light covering of makeup seemed intact, he realised with a relieved sigh, so he allowed himself a few minutes to run his hands and wrists under the refreshingly cool water from the tap. After tweaking his hair a little, Magnus returned to the main cafe, a tall glass of iced water was waiting for him next to the old computer pushed into the back corner.

"Terima kasih," Magus gave Desi a grateful smile, and sat down in front of the old PC. He sipped slowly on the water, allowing the computer a few minutes to start up as he composed himself with long deep breaths.

Fidgeting, he checked the time again, he still had ten minutes, but he willed the computer to do its job just a little quicker, clicking frantically on the Skype icon with no response. Finally, the window popped up, and Magnus quickly moved his graceful hands over the keyboard, his fingernails were painted a deep purple. He opened up the webcam for one last check of his appearance, ran his hands through his dark hair an applied a thin layer of balm to his lips. Satisfied he sat back and awaited the call.

At six o'clock on the dot, the computer rang out, and Magus didn't hesitate to accept the call, sitting back casually - but not  _too_  casually -  as he awaited the call to be connected.

"Mister Bane," Imogen Herondale's face filled the small screen. "It's a pleasure to finally talk to you face to face."

The stern set of her face said otherwise, but Magnus kept his charming demeanour about him, sitting up a little straighter in the uncomfortable plastic chair of the cafe.

"Believe me, Principal Herondale, the pleasure is all mine."  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preview...
> 
> "Church was just starting to trust me," Alec mumbled accusingly.
> 
> Clary apologised. The man laughed. 
> 
> Alec hated him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohmygod this weeks sneak peek though...
> 
> anyways, here's the first proper chapter. This is my first real attempt at a multi chapter fic so please bare with me. I have MANY ideas floating around that I'm trying to work in to the story line, and I'm not very confident in my writing so expect that I may go back and change things as the story progresses and I (hopefully) get more into the flow of things. 
> 
> Also, updates may be slow, I can only apologise. I work full time and my job can be quite physically demanding so some day I just wanna sleep, you know?
> 
> As before I'll try and update the tags as we go. 
> 
> Thanks for your support <3

_September - New York City, NY_

 

To say that Magnus Bane was happy to be back in New York would be an understatement.

He was home.

Even if _home_ meant riding the subway pressed up against half of Manhattan.

It was the simple things that pleased him the most: namely the cooler climate, which Magnus was celebrating by wearing _layers_.

A heavily patterned blue silk shirt tucked into his sinfully tight, dark pants, a vest, and blazer - of course - and his favourite deep grey woollen coat. He had a ring on almost every finger, more chains around his neck than he knew what to do with, and the heavier, more intense make up that the people of New York wouldn't bat an eyelid at, glitter and all.

But not even that could make riding the subway at rush-hour a more pleasurable experience in the slightest.

Magnus dove into the first coffee shop that he saw as he made his way out of the confines of the New York subway system, in desperate need of something warm and sweet after being stuck in the cramped mugginess of the train. The place he had stumbled into was  small, one of those cosy cafes with books piled high to the ceilings, and warm orange lighting that made you want to curl up and forget the rest of the world.

The whole place smelt like freshly roasted coffee and sweet vanilla and made Magnus' soul happy.

It was still early enough in the morning that the queue was short, two young women at the counter were wrapped around each other as they discussed the entire menu, and a tall, dark haired man was sighing impatiently behind them. 

Rolling his eyes at the man's lack of patience in the presence of young love, Magnus pulled his phone out of his back pocket, only to remember that the battery had died minutes before as he was in the middle of a lengthy conversation with Ragnor on the importance of interior design. He’d have to remember to return the call.

The couple moved to a small table tucked in a corner, having made up their minds, and in front of him, mister tall, dark and miserable was ordering a black coffee, no sugar and Magnus couldn't help but roll his eyes again.

 _Predictable_.

Magnus found himself to be in a silently judgemental kind of mood. The man was a walking cliché, with his all black clothes which probably cost more than most people's monthly salary, and tousled "straight out of bed" hair that probably took him hours to perfect.  Magnus supposed it probably wasn't fair to compare the man's boring exterior to his own, however, a little colour wouldn't hurt.

It wasn't until the man stepped to the side to wait for his order that Magnus could truly appreciate him, despite his seemingly less than desirable personality and frankly drab dress sense, and he found himself struggling to tear his eyes away from the man in front of him. Though his dark clothes were boring, they clung to him in all of the right places - not that Magnus had been checking out the guys ass, of course - and Magnus tried not to let his mind wander as his gaze tracked the hint of black ink that disappeared down the man's neck and into the collar of his jacket, begging his eyes to follow.

But it was his eyes were what drew him in. Magnus had always relished getting lost in people's eyes, _the gateway to the soul,_ indeed.  Magnus prayed that for the sake of humanity, this man had something green in his wardrobe to compliment those beautiful eyes.

"Sir?" The other man glanced up, his eyes meeting Magnus', the two of them unmoving as if time had forgotten that it was supposed to move.

Magnus quickly blinked out of his thoughts and looked towards the barista, a light smattering of pink swept across his cheeks. The young girl was smiling, knowingly.

"Good morning, my dear," Magnus smiled back at her politely, glancing cautiously back towards the other man only to find that he was distracted by something on his phone and chewing his lip, his cheeks a burning pink. Magnus sighed and stepped forwards.

"I was miles away," he swept his hand in a motion that he hoped would help to get his point across, "apologies." To his left, he was aware of the stranger taking his mug and retreating to the back corner of the coffee shop, still distracted by his phone. Magnus couldn't stop his eyes from following.

 

"He comes in here every morning," the girl breathed almost dreamily, following Magnus' eyes to where the other man had taken his seat, seeming to forget that she was, in fact, working.  

 

Magnus laughed. "Oh, sweetheart. While I appreciate the thought, I am not jumping into that cliché of falling in love with a brooding stranger in a coffee shop."  She was the one who blushed this time.

"Vanilla latte, please," Magnus smiled. "Extra syrup- actually, make that two. To go, please."

The girl busied herself with putting Magnus' order through the register.

"Is that everything for you today, sir?" She asked politely, her air of professionalism firmly back in place.

Magnus paused for a second, holding up his dead phone as if it were disgusting to him.

"Technology has failed me. I don't suppose you could direct me to The Institute."

 

~~~~~

 

Alec had been staring through blank phone screen of his phone for the last five minutes, his coffee steaming away forgotten on the table in front of him. He stole a glance at the man at the cash register again, who was currently holding his phone like it had personally offended him.

Alec chewed his lip again, the thin skin threatening to split.

 Everything about the man screamed exuberance and extravagance, and it made Alec want to hate him for no reason other than because he was everything that Alec wasn’t. He had glitter on his eyes and polish on his nails for fuck sake, and so much jewellery draped over him that Alec was surprised he could hold his head up without toppling over backwards.

Alec was mesmerised.

He was pulled out of his spiralling thoughts as his phone began to buzz in his hand, Izzy's name popped up along with a picture of her passed out drunk that Alec had promised her that he would delete.

“Isabelle,” he let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

“ _Buenos días, Alec. ¿Cómo estás?_ ” Alec rolled his eyes, but a small smile played across his lips.

“Come on Iz, save it for the students,” Alec managed to relax in his chair, finally take a sip of his bitter coffee, which did nothing for his already, inexplicably, jittery hands. He glanced up again to see the other man blowing a kiss to the barista as he swept gracefully out of the door, lost to the bustling streets of New York City.

Alec frowned.

“Fine,” Izzy laughs. “When are you getting here? Apparently the new Chem teacher is coming in today and we’re all waiting to gossip with you over lunch.”

In the background he could hear Simon.

“Shut up Simon, we’re always nice,” Izzy laughed.

Simon spoke again.

“Oh, Simon, _no mientas_ , you love me.”

“Hey, Izzy, as nice as this is-“

“Finish your coffee and get your skinny jeaned butt to work,” and with that, she was gone.

Alec slid his phone onto the table and scrubbed his hands through his already tousled hair. The school term was due to start in less than a week, meaning that all of the teachers would be spending their last few days of summer break at The Institute finishing up their lesson plans and preparing themselves for the term ahead.

Alec was glad, in a way, that he would have work to distract him again. The summer break always gave his mind too much time to wander, even with Isabelle’s continual presence, Simon’s inane chatter, and Jace and Clary’s constant will they won’t they romance. It also meant less time spent around his parents, and less time coming up with new excuses for why he hadn't settled down with a nice girl yet.

He could barely admit the truth to himself, and it ate away at him every day.

Alec knocked back the rest of his coffee, now an unsatisfying room temperature but still bitter enough to please his taste buds, and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. As he moved to the door he flicked a glance at the young couple who huddled together in the corner, and his heart clenched in jealousy. The barista rushed to him, quickly pulling him out of his train of thought, take out cup clasped in her hands.

“For you,” she smiled, holding the warm cup like a precious gift. “From the gentleman who came in just after you.”

“Uh-I-,” Alec took the cup hesitantly. He could already smell the sickly sweet drink hidden under the lid. “Thanks.”

He left the coffee shop in a daze, quickly joining the reams of people rushing to get to work. He took a sip of the drink. It was warm and creamy, and tasted like it was made with more sugar than coffee, like nothing Alec would have ever ordered for himself.

Alec didn’t know whether to be disappointed or delighted when he found himself taking another sip.

 

~~~~~

 

Magnus pushed through the heavy doors into the entrance hall of The Institute and found himself a little overwhelmed by sheer grandeur of the place. The old building was still as impressive and imposing as he imagined it had been on the day it was built, many years before.

The seat at the main desk was empty, so Magnus chimed the small bell, feeling as if he was in a grand hotel, not a high school - though he supposed The Institute was a little grander that the average American High School.

With no sign of anyone, Magus took to looking at the tall glass cabinets filled with photographs and trophies from the years gone by. The first teachers at The Institute had all been middle aged men with stern faces, matching tweed suits and thick moustaches who looked more likely to inspire fatigue than a desire to learn. There was one name that stood out to him as it began to repeat itself, over and over until he reached the present day faculty photograph.

_Lightwood._

Magnus’ eyes grew wide as they were drawn to the familiar face that he had been all but swooning over just half an hour before, though in the picture he was altogether less brooding, he looked softer, kind, with the hint of a smile playing at his mouth.

"Who _are_ you?" Magnus searched the names listed below, until he stopped on the one that belonged to the man. _Alexander G Lightwood_ , formerly known as tall, dark and miserable. He hadn’t looked like the teacher type, but who was Magnus to judge? In front of him stood an _Isabelle S Lightwood_ , petite, curvaceous and, quite frankly, stunning. Not Magnus' usual type, but he could see the attraction. 

“Figures,” Magnus sighed to himself.

"Mr Bane?" Imogen Herondale's voice echoed through the large empty space.

 “Please, call me Magnus,” he spun around and offered her a smile, which remained unreturned, and took her hand in a firm handshake. Her eyes glanced to his dark navy nails briefly, then back to his face. “If this-” he motioned to his face with a swirl of his hand, looking unsure “-is a problem, then I can tone it down for when the students arrive.”

The corner of Principle Herondale’s mouth twitched.

“As long as you do not intend to start dealing Class A drugs from your apartment, Mr Bane, I’m sure we will not have a problem.”

Magnus could only smile a little. Of course, he had heard the story of why the position he now held had become available, but decided that keeping his mouth shut on the matter was probably wise. Imogen Herondale was a force to be reckoned with, and he was going to make sure to stay on her good side for as long as possible.

“Miss Fray will be with you shortly to show you around. It’s best you learn your way before the students return.” With a curt nod, Imogen left, disappearing down one of the many corridors leading away from the main foyer.

“ _Church!_ ” A desperate whisper broke through the silence, followed by the near silent padding of paws on tiled floor and the light jingling of a bell.

A large, grey ball of fluff trotted towards Magnus, rubbing against his legs as if they were old friends.

“Well, hello,” Magnus crouched an scratched the cat between the ears, it looked back up at him with piercing yellow eyes. “Aren’t just the most gorgeous bundle of fuzz?” 

The large cat mewed and Magnus hefted him into his arms standing gracefully, the cat rested his paws on Magnus’ shoulder, nuzzled his chin and purred contentedly.

" _I swear to god if you attack another visitor I will-_ OH!” The young woman stopped in her tracks. “You must be Mr Bane,” she smiled, “I’m Clary Fray - art," she explained, motioning to her oversized clothes, stained with paint and charcoal and offering Magnus a genuine smile. Her bright red hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and the black smudges across her nose and cheeks made her look more like a student than a teacher.

"You've got a little something," Magnus gestured his free hand to her entire face and she blushed hard, rubbing at her skin with the sleeve of her shirt. "Not to worry, Biscuit, it suits you."

The cat nudged Magnus' chin again, Magnus scratched his head until the purrs vibrated through the cat's entire body.

 “You’re lucky Church hasn’t tried to maul you,” Clary laughed, but it didn’t completely hide her genuine concern.

“He’s charming. And please, Clary, call me Magnus. Mr Bane makes me sounds like one of those drab old men with no personality and a badly tailored suit.” He mocked disgust as he gestured at the photographs he’d been studying minutes before, the other hand tucked under Church's backside. Clary laughed.

“Come with me Magnus, we’ll show you around.”

As if on cue, Church jumped gracefully from Magnus' arms, jingling away down one of the corridors.

 Clary and Magnus followed.

 

~~~~~

 

Alec flopped down into his worn leather chair, expertly tossing the now empty coffee cup into the waste bin on the other side of his small office without a second glance. He tried not to think about the man from the coffee shop, but failed. New York was _filled_ with attractive people Alec saw them every day, what made this man so special different that Alec could still picture him as if he was stood in Alec's office with him? He wasn't even that -

The approaching jingle of Church's collar pulled Alec from his train of thought, a warning bell that had become a necessary addition after Church had scratched one too many potential benefactors. The cat jumped up onto his favourite spot on Alec's desk, where the morning sun beamed through his window, and flopped to his back, legs in the air.

Alec folded his arms across his desk, resting his head there as he stared into Church's yellow eyes. One wrong move and he'd end up with a scratch on his face again, and Izzy would laugh at him for weeks.

"Stop pretending you're cute," Alec grinned at the cat, chancing a tiny _boop_ on his nose. Church rubbed his face on Alec's hand in return. It seemed he was in a good mood today, so Alec rewarded him with a scratch between his ears.

Satisfied that The Institute's cat was unlikely to pounce on his face today, Alec pulled out his phone, texting Izzy a quick, **in my office, c u at lunch,** and stored it away in his desk draw, swapping it for his thick framed reading glasses that he despised. It vibrated with a reply before Alec even had chance to put his glasses on.

He went to work reading over the terms curriculum, despite already knowing like that back of his hand, and having each of his lessons planned. Field trips were already outlined, and the letters ready to send home with his students next week and the new textbooks that he had ordered were already stacked neatly in the far corner of his office, waiting to be claimed. After making a few notes in his diary, Alec was left with nothing to do. There was no worse feeling that rushing to get things done and feeling like you'd lost control of the situation at hand, but now Alec was desperate for something to occupy his mind.

This was why he hated summer. Too much time to think.

Alec's eyes went to the books on the shelf behind him, though he'd read them all before. Shakespeare would occupy his mind, he supposed, pulling his old, ragged copy of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ from the shelf. He slipped his boots off, and moved in his chair until his feet were planted and he could rest the book on his knees. He leant back, opened the book, and began to read the familiar words.

At some point Church moved to Alec's lap, curling himself up in to an impossibly small ball. Alec scratched between his ears absentmindedly. 

"Hey, Alec?" He wasn't sure how long had passed when a gentle knock sounded at his door. It reminded him that he needed to invest in a lock.

Too immersed in a monologue to respond fully, Alec only managed a "mm hmm," before the door opened fully.

"This is Aldertree's replacement," it was Clary. Alec 's eyes stayed glued to the book in his lap. There was a beat of silence before Clary continued. "Alec teaches English, and a little History."

Alec supposed he should be civil and at least acknowledge him, even though Chemistry and English never crossed paths. He'd had little to do with Aldertree in the two years that they had worked together, though that may have been less to do with his subject of choice, and more to do with his snakelike personality. With a small huff Alec finally looked up from his book.

Alec scrambled at the sight of the man from the coffee shop, dropping his book to the floor with a _thump_ in the process, and startling Church into action. The cat sprang at him, catching his hand and cheek with his painfully sharp claws and knocking Alec's glasses to the floor before darting out of the office, jingling as he went.

Alec could feel the embarrassment burning his cheeks, and busied himself with cleaning up the minor disaster zone. The book lay face down on the floor, the pages bent back in a way that made Alec cringe. His glasses had, unfortunately, survived the ordeal. He picked up the book and placed it on his desk, and threw the glasses unceremoniously back into his desk draw. He could feel Clary and the man staring at him as he pulled a tissue from the box on his desk and dabbed at the small scratches on his hand, then held it against his cheek.

"Church was just starting to trust me," Alec mumbled accusingly, the tissue still pressed firmly to his cheek.

Clary apologised. The man laughed.

Alec hated him.

Clary's phone buzzed with a call and she excused herself.

"It's lovely to meet you, Alexander. I'm Magnus Bane,"  he took a small step into Alec's office offering his perfectly manicured hand.

He tensed. "Its Alec," he shot back, pulling his cell phone out of his draw and replying to Izzy's **For an English teacher, your texting is appalling** , with a simple **fuck u**. He was acutely aware of Magnus  stepping further into his office, and went still as he picked up Alec's copy of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. This was exactly why he needed a lock on his office door.

" _Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,_ _and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind_ ," Magnus quoted. Alec's eyes flew up and he found that Magnus hadn't even had to open the pages to recite the words.

Alec's mouth went dry.

 

~~~~~

 

Magnus didn't believe in fate, or true love or any of those long outdated clichés that so many still clung onto, but he couldn't help but feel like he was meant to meet Alec again. Seeing him like this, seemingly intellectual, awkward and flustered, Magnus felt as if he was looking at a different person to the dark and brooding one that had been at the coffee shop that morning. He was seeing a man that he wanted to know more about, not just sleep with because he was, quite frankly, beautiful.   

"Ready for lunch?" Clary broke the silence as she poked her head around the doorframe, phone still pressed to her ear. "We're thinking burritos!"

"Absolutely," Magnus smiled, his eyes not leaving Alec's. Clary went back to her conversation, unaware of the tension.

"Uh - We should," Alec stood slipping his boots back on in a rush and pointing out to the hallway. "We should probably-"

"Right, lunch," Magnus let his smile grow a little as Alec stumbled out into the corridor. He flicked through the annotated pages of the book, until it fell open on one of the pages that had folded back when it hit the floor. Magnus smiled to himself, as one line stood out proudly from the rest, it had been underlined, at some stage, but someone had since tried to erase the pencil mark, fading the words a little. 

 _The course of true love never did run smooth_.

Magnus smoothed the creased page and placed the book back down on Alec's desk, following him out of the room.

 

~~~~~

 

“Cut yourself shaving again, Lightwood?” Jace clapped Alec on the shoulder and pulled him into an crushing hug as they joined the queue at the food truck. It was a beautiful late summer day and Central Park was buzzing with activity.

 Alec blushed, wriggling his arm that was pinned between them.

When he was finally released Alec removed the blood spotted tissue away from his face, satisfied that the bleeding had stopped. He ran a finger down his cheek and could feel the raised line of the scratch.

He dropped his hand so as not to draw attention to it, but Isabelle had already noticed.

“ _Alec, eres un idiota de mierda._ You let that damn cat scratch your face again, didn’t you?” Izzy swatted her brother's hand away and grabbed his face, pulling him so that she could look closer and inspect the small red line across his right cheek.

“Iz, it’s a scratch, I'll survive,” Alec pushed his little sister away playfully.

"Why do you always insist that all animals like you?" She sighed, shaking her head at him fondly.

Alec was genuinely offended. "Church _loves_ me!" He grinned at his sister. "Anyway... he got spooked." Alec scowled.

He wasn't the only one.

They were interrupted by a throat being cleared behind them.

"Well, Alec, are you going to introduce us or leave the poor man standing there?" Izzy looked at him hopefully. Alec searched for Clary for back up, but she was still distracted by her phone. _Traitor_.

"Uh- right. This is M-Magnus," Alec hated when he stuttered over words, it made him sound like a child, and Magnus' presence and unrelenting gaze wasn't helping the situation.

Alec looked away.

"Magnus Bane. Aldertree's  replacement," Magnus stepped forward with a genuine smile, holding a hand out to Izzy.

"Isabelle Lightwood, I teach Spanish." Her eyes seemed to light up with pride. "This is Jace," She continued, patting the blonde on the chest. "He teaches phys ed and fitness." Magnus shook his hand. "And Simon..." she drifted off, searching the crowds. "Simon is somewhere. He teaches music."

Alec left them to their introductions, not in the mood for talking, let alone pleasantries. Especially not with Magnus Bane.

This hadn't been his plan for the day. He wasn't meant to be in such a terrible mood. Alec was having a shitty morning which, he realised, could be traced directly back to its source, who was currently in full conversation with his baby sister.

Alec wanted to get away, thinking of an excuse to leave and return to the sanctuary of his office. This time he would barricade the door so that nobody could interrupt him. He could say he felt ill - his head _was_ pounding due to that god awful drink that Magnus had bought him - but Izzy would go all protective and insist that she accompanied him back to their apartment. Alec couldn't even use work as an excuse because they already knew that Alec had worked his butt off to get his everything done before the new term began.

"I hope my big brother has been looking after you," Alec refocused his attention as Izzy smiled at Magnus.

Alec watched Magnus' eyebrows twitch, a momentary frown that was replaced quickly by a coy smile as he turned his focus back to Alec.

"He's been nothing but charming," Alec felt like a deer in the headlights, stuck in place by Magnus' piercing gaze. His stomach did a flip that Alec chose not to acknowledge.

"Where's Simon?" Clary appeared at Jace's side, her phone now tucked away in her bag.

Clary was just as responsible as Magnus for his shitty mood, Alec decided.

 

~~~~~

 

Magnus followed his new colleagues across the grass of the Great Lawn as they searched for the perfect lunch spot. Central Park was buzzing with groups of workers on their lunch breaks, and families enjoying the last few days of summer before school started again. The midday sun was beating down on them, and Magnus found himself regretting his earlier choice of layers, slipping his coat off and draping it over his arm.

Magnus was aware of Alec walking a little way behind the group as they chatted, seemingly lost in his own world. He hung back for a beat, until Alec was level with him, then fell back into pace with him.

Alec continued to look forwards, hands stuffed deep in his pockets.

"Well," he began. "This is... unexpected." Magnus watched Alec's shoulders hunch almost imperceptibly as if Magnus' sheer presence made him tense. He wanted to ask him what had happened in his life that had made Alec so guarded against, well, everything.

"I hope the latte was to your liking, Alexander," Magnus smiled.

The corners of Alec's mouth pulled down a little. "It was fine," he muttered, "and please, don't call me that."

Magnus raised his eyebrows and looking away in awe of Alec's complete lack of social skill. _Why was it always the pretty ones?_

"A simple 'yes, thank you' would have sufficed," Magnus sighed. Alec stopped in his tracks, looking at Magnus, his lips parted a little as if a response was on the tip of his tongue.

"Here!" Isabelle called out, flopping to the ground and pulling Magnus' attention away from her brother. He left Alec, still stood open mouthed away from the group, and lowered himself gracefully next to Clary, using his coat as a makeshift blanket.

Magus didn't react when Alec sat down next to him, his attention held by Clary who had pulled out a sketchbook in favour of her lunch. The rest of the group began eating and fell into easy chatter, all except Alec who seemed to be listening intently but not willing to contribute.

Magnus bit into his burrito, moaning unexpectedly around the first mouthful.

"What did you do with your summer, Magnus?" Izzy asked, nibbling on her own lunch. Magnus looked up a little surprised at his sudden inclusion in the conversation.

"Oh, well, I was in Jakarta," he explained. "I took some time away to teach at an orphanage there."

Alec huffed a laugh and muttered under his breath, "I'm sure thermodynamics will help them in the real world."

Magnus bristled.

He noticed, but didn't acknowledge, the looks of disappointment on the rest of the groups faces, all aimed toward Alec who was staring down at the ground. Magnus wanted to shout, demand to know what his problem was, but managed to hold himself back, if only for his own sake. He couldn't help but feel that Alec's mocking was just another guard that he put up to shield himself, but Magnus couldn't understand why.

He was starting to think that he didn't want to know.

"Jakarta? That's Indonesia, right?" the music teacher asked - _Sheldon_? - Magnus couldn't remember, but he was grateful for the distraction.  

"Correct," Magnus smiled, taking another bite of his lunch. "I was born there." He explained.

He didn't particularly like talking about his childhood - too many bad memories outweighed the few good ones that he still had - especially not with people he had only just met. He looked back to Clary's sketchbook, concentrating on the pencil strokes and hoping that the others would sense the end of the topic.

 As if on cue Isabelle balled up the wrapper from her lunch and threw it at - _Steven?_ \- hitting him in the throat. He clutched his throat desperately, coughing and spluttering  until he fell dramatically onto Clary's legs who was laughing uncontrollably at him.

"You're such a nerd," she giggled, swatting him with her sketch book.

With the tension broken they went back to chatting, all the while Alec stayed silent at Magnus' side.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preview...
> 
> "Alexander Gideon Lightwood," Izzy snapped back, Alec's head whipped up at the sound of his full name. She sounded like their mother. "Sé que eres mejor que ésto." She jabbed her finger into Alec's chest with more force than he felt necessary. "What the fuck is your problem?"
> 
> "Magnus Bane is my problem."


End file.
